Carb Conundrum!- Help

Hi All


I've been trying to get more protein and fat and less carbs as my carb's are usually around 50-60% of my daily intake and I want to aim more for 40/30/30.

Anyhow I've tried to eat more eggs, yogurt, nuts etc but I still somehow end up with loads of carbs. Today I decided no bread/oatmeal/paste etc to try and see if that helps but my carbs are still about 56%.

Any thoughts? How did you make protein a priority?

My diary is open feel free to take a look.

Thanks
Liz

carbs aren't bad for you. the problem i have with carbs is that that some types are calorie dense, but don't fill me up for long (i.e., breads & pasta). i still eat those, but have cut back on the amounts. that's had the nice side effect of decreasing my appetite, so not only do i eat fewer, but i'm less hungry for them. the trick for me was cutting them out completely and then adding them back in smaller amounts weeks later. protein is really the macro on which you should focus. the MFP suggestions for it are low, so make sure you're getting at least 1g per pound of LBM. if necessary, protein powder shake supplements can make up the difference for you. you don't have much weight to lose, so go at a slow steady pace and you shouldn't have any issues with muscle loss. but if you want to add some strength and muscle definition via weight training, you'll need to be meeting your daily protein minimums.

you're not over by that much. replace the latte for black coffee and that would get you closer to your goal (that's the healthiest substitution, the rest of your carbs seem to come from fruit and fruit's very good for you, but if your latte is your one treat you don't want to go without, then eating a little less fruit would bring you closer to target). you don't have to hit the numbers right on the nose, I'm happy if I'm within about 10% of the target either way (well, I try not to go 10% over on calories as I only have a 15% deficit when cutting, but for macros I'm a bit more flexible)

see if you can find snacks that are low carb and high protein - low carb blogs might have some ideas. you don't have to follow the entire eating plan to get food ideas from them. if it tastes good and helps you to hit your macros then go for it

When I'm most successful at adhering to a 40/30/30 - I pre-log my protein for the day. Then I fill in the meals with whatever else I think will go well and play around til my numbers are close. I get this done pretty quickly now since I eat the same foods every week usually.

Looks like breakfast is a tough one for you. Here's some suggestions for a more protein-y breakfast:

Try
Greek yogurt, cottage cheese + protein powder mixed together. I eat half cup of each (no salt cottage cheese and vanilla greek yogurt), with half scoop of protein. Bam - 22g of protein and only 12 g of carbs)

If I really feel like I want some carbs for breakfast, I will still make oatmeal but like this:

1/4 c steel cut oats
1/4 c greek yogurt
1/4 c egg whites

Adds about 12g of protein to your breakfast.


Also looks like you need some protein snacks, I'd suggest meat jerky (you can afford the sodium), boiled eggs, or cottage cheese to replace the dried fruit options you are currently eating.

Your diet looks beautiful though. Nice job

Edit to say: The thing that really helped me sort out my macro ideals, I target my meals to have equal g of carbs and proteins, which forced me to change out some of the foods I was eating. For example, your choice of greek yogurt is quite high in carbs still. Just something to think about.

Liz, I agree with the others in watching the dried fruit. It is one of those "healthy" things that are not healthy because they are so much more calorie dense then the fresh fruit. You can mix your protein powder in with your oatmeal to boost your protein. The oatmeal and granola is a bit of carb overload. The protein in with your oatmeal will probably carry you longer.

Enjoy your marathon in Bejing!